Today's Special Guest Author is Scott Nagele

Scott Nagele

I featured Scott Nagele and his novel, Temp: Life in the Stagnant Lane, on Sandy's Spotlight back in August 2011. I became one of Scott's biggest fans from the very first page. When I was done reading that book, I begged him to come back on the blog so we could take a look at some of his other work. The time has finally come. Today I'm featuring Scott's collection of short stories called, A Smile Through A Tear: Stories, and he's here on the video below to tell you about the book himself! I'm also hosting A Smile Through A Tear: Stories Book Discussion. Click on the link and join in the fun! We'd love to hear from you.

Before I share my review of this book, I've just got to pass on some really exciting news to you. I'd like to congratulate Scott and his lovely wife. Very recently, they've had a new addition to their family, and I can't wait for his new blog posts on this subject. It doesn't matter how old your kids are, if you are a parent, you will absolutely love Scott's new blog, Snoozing on the Sofa. Although my kids have long since left our home, I've gotten many enjoyable moments reading about Scott's escapades with his young son. We've all been there.

I'd also like to take a moment to say how proud I am of Scott and his recent accomplishments as an author. His novel, A Housefly in Autumn, was recently selected as a quarter finalist in the YA Fiction Category for the 2012 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Contest! Amazon has released the first 5,000 word excerpt of this novel. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you, Scott!

If you are like me and love to read but you are so busy it's daunting trying to find the time to read a full-length novel, A SMILE THROUGH A TEAR: STORIES by SCOTT NAGELE is the book for you. The very best comparison I have to reading one of Mr. Nagele's short stories instead of a full-length novel is, it is like eating a bite-sized Milky Way instead of the full-sized candy bar. You get all of the pleasure and none of the guilt.

Each story in this collection of short stories is masterfully written and leaves the reader with a sense of fulfillment after reading them. Mr. Nagele has given the reader variety in not only humor to drama, but writing styles, and time frames from historical to futuristic. I LOVED THEM ALL!

I highly recommend this book for anyone that enjoys reading any genre. There's something here for everyone.

A Smile Through a Tear is a collection of short stories featuring humorous and dramatic pieces in one volume. Five of these stories have been previously selected for publication in literary journals, including Berkeley Fiction Review.

The humorous stories include the tales of: a telephone company executive who must figure out how to use his phone before he is exposed as a fraud; a woman who has accidentally introduced a mysterious white powder into the State Capitol building; and a man whose entire job is to sit on a park bench, and who has trouble meeting that obligation.

The dramatic episodes include the stories of: a father trying to protect his kids from a lifestyle that sent him to prison; a group of WWI soldiers facing overwhelming odds; a space traveler who must make a terrible choice; and a man whose best Christmas would be anyone else's worst.

These tales and many others are brought together in one book to present the reader with A Smile Through a Tear.The total length of A Smile Through a Tear is 82,000 words.

Fearful of this epitaph, Gary Gray seeks to avoid career pressures by working as a temp. Unfortunately, Gary repeatedly gets into trouble by being too conscientious and outperforming the permanent employees. No matter how hard Gary tries to be a meek office worker, he can’t seem to stop himself from becoming a competitive threat to his co-workers and superiors. Meanwhile, Gary’s girlfriend is smart and beautiful, and he just might be able to hold onto her if he can stay employed and quit accidentally mooning her mom.

Gary runs afoul of a host of difficult characters in the workplace. Marge Meko is thoroughly incompetent, but she has “the goods” on the boss, so she easily gets away with blaming her errors on Gary. Marge’s boss, Steve, wants all problems swept under the rug before they become an inconvenience to his cushy position. Rae is a secretary with an overblown ego, intent on consolidating power by crushing all her perceived competitors. Gary is convinced that College President Burton is a mere figurehead, pulled from the ranks of the indigent and propped up by Rae, the power behind the throne. Through his trials Gary comes to the amazing revelation that it may actually be less painful to die trying than to live the “easy” life of the temp.

Wasted Moons is the story of one man's quest to find love, write a book, and maybe do a little cross country skiing in a time of increasing personal isolation, constant distraction, and ever-milder winters. To pursue his quest, he must perform many feats of strength, courage, and outright stupidity. He must argue the Bible with door-to-door religious proselytizers; he must act out Last of the Mohicans with a slightly confused senior citizen; he must watch an entire Detroit Lions game with a man named Bud; he must make turkey gravy in a strange city; but most importantly, he must stop over-thinking every romantic situation and quit tripping over his conscience at every turn. With the spirit of a recently departed blues musician along for inspiration, he is off to conquer (or at least reach a face-saving compromise with) his goals. Will he overcome the obstacles before him, or will the moon that coddles lovers still mock him for his solitude? Only the personnel department of the local library system can say, and they're having trouble making up their minds.

At 17, Anders Christiansen was a prodigy, a young man full of potential. All of his instructors believed he was destined to blossom into a leading man of letters and to enjoy a life of rich rewards.That was before the accident.One day, Anders saw a little girl fall through the ice. He plunged in after her, saving her life. In the process, he nearly drowned. He would live, but he was changed.Now, Anders's great talent lies fallow. He can't produce the complex ideas he once did. His thoughts are slow and his words simple. Like the last housefly in autumn, he finds himself alone, separated from all he once knew. The world holds no great promise for him anymore.Struggling to build a meaningful life out of the wreckage of his dreams, Anders learns the value of simple treasures. Loyalty, devotion, and even sacrifice hold rewards of their own that can renew hope after tragedy.Anders gives meaning to his life in the way he spends it. He will face great danger to protect those he loves, and though his gifts be diminished, he will share them freely with even the humblest of children.Though never sought, Anders's reward is immense and enduring, showing the millions of reasons to go on sharing even the simplest of gifts.

Other Purchase Links for Scott Nagele's Books:

We enjoy hearing from the viewers, so please leave a comment for Scott and we'd love to have you join us over at the A Smile Through A Tear: Stories Book Discussion. If you enjoyed the blog, please tweet your peeps and Facebook your friends!

Thank you, Sandy, for inviting me back to Sandy's Spotlight. It is a thrill to be featured here. I have always stood in awe of the amount of work you put into this blog and the generousity you have always shown to your fellow authors.

Scott, your stories sound amazing! And ... delightful. I look forward to reading them.
Sandy ... You do such a wonderful service for all us authors, and it's always fun meeting the ones you feature in your Spotlight. Thanks for another terrific post!

Thanks for stopping by, P.L. Since I have been lucky enough to be invited to be featured here twice, I can honestly say that what you said about the service Sandy provides to authors goes double for me. Thanks for the Tweet.

I love hearing about new authors and this one is one of those you need to look at all right. What a vivid imagination Scott has to be all these people and see the world through their eyes.
Great spot, Sandy!

Leanore, that's why I love reading and writing short stories: you get to put yourself into the places of lots of different people and see the world through different eyes. That's the thing that was most fun about this book. Thanks for stopping.

Thanks so much for stopping by! As I mentioned in the blog, Scott has also written a full length novel called, Temp: Life in the Stagnant Lane. That was the first book I read of his. I have never laughed so hard as I did when reading that book! I liked it so much, I gifted it to some close friends and I recommend it all the time. This is a great book to pick up if you find yourself a little blue. I promise. You'll feel 100% better after reading it.

Thanks for the Tweet, MM. Haven't talked to you in a while. Hope you and your family are doing well.

Reply

Rebecca Stroud

4/6/2012 02:00:48 am

Scott - What an eclectic collection you've put together! Also, congratulations on your new family member AND your breakthrough novel status...sounds like 2012 is going to be a great year for you. I wish you the best.

Hi Rebecca. My wife and her sister designed all of my covers. My wife does a lot of graphic design and marketing work. If anyone out there is looking for book covers or other marketing materials, feel free to contact LaRay at laraynagele@gmail.com. She's always selling my books, so I guess I owe her a plug.

Thanks for stopping by, Sylvia. ABNA is full of really terrific novels every year, and only one of them wins. I remind myself of that every year. I'm sure they've missed out on a lot of great stories, including yours.

And yes, we are all very busy these days. I remember my lazy bachelor days, when I could sit and read for hours on end if I wanted to. Now, 15 uninterupted minutes is paradise. But the rewards are greater now, so it all works out.

Reply

Janet Harvey-Clark

4/10/2012 10:18:17 pm

It's been such a delight reading your works, Scott. I admire your dedication to writing. What a great role model you are for your sons (now plural!). I recommend your books to all.

Thanks so much, Janet. My sons inspire me to want to work harder. Besides that, they give me a lot of material for my blog. About the only thing they can't give me is more time, but you can't have everything.

I just bought a copy of A Amile Through A Tear and I look forward to, possibly, writing my own review. You've done a super job on this, Sandy, and it's nice to see the page featuring one author. It didn't take long to download at all.

Hi Norma.
Thank you very much for buying my book. I would love for you to write a review, if get a chance to do so. Either way, thanks for your support, and I hope you find a story or two in the book that will stay with you for a long time.